Window No. 11

Do you make a Christmas gift list? I haven't written one since I was a child. It always seems a presumptuous thing to do as an adult but I suppose it is helpful, especially if your other half or family are a bit clueless when it comes to present buying.

I have a bad habit of expecting my husband to know automatically what to get me for Christmas and my birthday. Surely he should know me well enough by now (we've been together for ten years). I have to admit though that I rarely know what to get him. Perhaps a Christmas list would be helpful.

As a child I'm sure that my Christmas list each year made my parents despair. With the exception of toys that were new on the market, my list would usually look like this:

• pony (I started horse riding at a local stables when I was five years old),
• ticket to go see whatever pop band was my favourite at the time - Bay City Rollers, Sweet, Donny Osmond,
• a cart to go with the pony,
• a fairy (yes, really),
• acting lessons,
• a bookshop,
• books, books, books.

I never got the pony and cart, or the concert ticket, or the acting lessons (although my father did thrust me into an am dram group when I was in my early twenties), or the fairy (you'll be surprised to hear) or my very own bookshop (still want that one). The last request on the list, however, was always successful. Every year there would be several books wrapped up neatly for me under the tree.

Maybe next year I'll save my husband's nerves and put together a Christmas list. Or I could just keep him guessing.

If you're trying to work out what to buy for a writer friend this year (or if you're a writer and want to let your loved ones know what to get you), have a look at my post 7 ways to give to your writer friends this Christmas.